A Fantastic New Beginning
by I 4 2 write
Summary: What might happen if the ninth Doctor and Rose decided to let go of their fears and have a life and a child together. Inspired by/continuation of QueenOfBeasts amazing story "That Fantastic Little Girl." Tabitha Tyler is her character and used with her permission. planning on continuing although may end up as a set of one shots.


AN: Tabitha belongs to QueenofBeasts in our dimension, the Doctor and Rose in the fanfic realm. Read QueenofBeasts story That Fantastic Little Girl for this to make more sense. I can only wish I owned Doctor Who.

"Doctor?"

The doctor steadied himself, or at least did his best to. He could only hope Rose hadn't heard him crying. He wanted that vision he couldn't get out of his head like he'd never wanted anything before. Tabitha. His fantastic Tabitha, the daughter he would have with Rose if he'd allow it. The life they would have, together as a family. Rose as his in every way. True, he didn't do domestic, but there had been a time when he had. There had been a time when he'd loved another woman, one of his own kind, and had a child with her. He'd thought they would have forever, before the Time War took everything and everyone he loved.

He couldn't go through that loss again. He knew someday he'd lose Rose. She was twenty now. How many more years did that give them, assuming she lived a full lifespan? No time at all compared to his life. Even if he took her to where medicine was extremely advanced even by future standards, everything had it's end. If he lived out his natural life, he would face endless centuries without her. And Tabitha? What would her life be? Would she be more like a human or more like a time lord biologically? He would probably watch her grow old and die as well, if nothing they came across in their travels killed her first. No, she would never exist.

"In here," he answered after he was sure he would look normal. He turned toward her and saw she looked as terrible as he felt.

"Didn't sleep well?"

"Fine. Just- dreamed is all."

"Must have been one terrible nightmare."

Rose shook her head. "No. It was a good dream." She shrugged. "Silly I know, but I just didn't want it to end."

"Tabitha," he said before he could stop himself. Rose's eyes widened.

"What did you say?" He didn't answer. "You saw her too, didn't you?"

"Doesn't matter. It was only a dream. That's all it was."

Rose closed her eyes a second, as if trying to bring the vision back. "It will never be real, that life. She'll never be real."

"No," he answered simply.

"Right. I already knew that." She didn't know what made her say it, but she couldn't let it rest. "I mean I knew you'd never want that. Not with me, anyway. Just a stupid ape right?"

She turned, but felt him grab her firmly by the arm and turn her to face him.

"Don't you ever let me hear you say that about yourself again Rose Tyler." He cupped her face in his hands. "Is that why you think that vision can't happen?" He nearly said Tabitha's name again, but stopped himself. Saying her name made her seem like a real person.

"I know I'm only human." Something urged her on, to let herself say exactly what she was thinking. "I mean you've met so many people," she was surprised to realize she now included aliens as people the same as he did. It seemed so long ago she was stunned by just how alien they could be. "I never expected to be special to you or anything."

"Does it need saying?" he asked with more gentleness than Rose had ever heard in his voice. "If it does, then I'll say it. I love you Rose Tyler." He took her hand and put it on his chest. "Can you feel my hearts Rose? So many times I wished they'd just stop after the Time War was over. I kept going on, but there was nothing left for me except going towards trouble. You changed that." He stroked her face. "Remember what you told me when I said I was all alone now?"

She nodded. "I said there's me."

"But there won't always be you. I can't change that. With the life we live, it's more likely I'll lose you sooner than later. How many times have I come close to losing you already? If we had Ta- If we tried for the future we saw, we could have it for a short time only to lose it. Even if we never try anything dangerous again, danger seems to follow us if I try to just show you a good time." The memory of when he tried to show her the fourth great human empire came to mind.

'Why did you bring me?"

Was she actually starting to not want the danger anymore? Did she want to go back to a life of working, eating chips, and watching the telly?

"Do you want to go home?"

"That's not what I meant. If you're so afraid of losing me, and you know someday you'll have to, why bring me in the first place?"

He didn't say it, but the answer was because the loneliness was so unbearable, he couldn't stand not to relieve it, even if only for a little while.

"I mean you're so afraid of losing Tabitha you're not willing to have her with me at all, so wouldn't you rather have never met me?"

"It's not the same. Saying goodbye to you will be bad enough. Saying goodbye to both of you- I can't."

"You won't be left alone," she said, taking his hand. "I imagine Tabitha will have children someday, and her children will have children. I won't see them all," she said said sadly. "But you will. What we saw- it doesn't have to end with us. Everything ends, but shouldn't everything as good as that at least have a chance at a beginning?"

He looked into those beautiful doe eyes, eyes he knew their daughter would have. He'd risked death to bring safety to planets. Risking heartbreak to bring a fantastic little girl to life seemed so much more frightening. Why did he have to be such a coward? He couldn't have faced that fear for his own sake, but he could for Rose. The longing in her eyes. He couldn't deny her anything she wanted so badly, especially when he wanted it just as badly himself. He tilted her face toward his and kissed her with everything in him, wrapping his arms around her, He picked her up, her holding him close, and they made their way to where they could have some privacy.

Later that night, in her heart where she could see all of time, the TARDIS felt a new line starting from Her Thief and the Yellow One. What once only might have been was becoming reality. A strange mechanical sound could be heard. It was the TARDIS purring with joy.


End file.
